Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, pressed by people crowding around him, all anxious to listen to the word of God as he was teaching (Luke 5:1). Jesus saw two boats and decided that one would be a great platform to minister to the people. He got into the one belonging to Simon and requested that the boat be put out a little further from the shore (Luke 5:3). There he sat down and taught the people (Luke 5:3).
After Jesus was finished speaking, there were some unfinished business that Jesus needed to attend to, Luke 5:4 records Jesus’ instructions to Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” Earlier Jesus met the fishermen washing their nets. One of those fishermen was Simon, who answered Jesus and said, “Master, we have toiled all night, and have taken nothing: NEVERTHELESS AT THY WORD I WILL LET DOWN THE NET.” “And when they had done this, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net break (Luke 5:6).”
Jesus saw the men washing their nets, and knew that they caught nothing all night.HE knew the men were discouraged having worked all night and have nothing to show for their labor. Little did they know that Jesus was not only concerned about teaching the people about the kingdom of God, but He was also ready to now demonstrate the presence and power of his Kingdom in the earth. The Kingdom of God is not just words but actions, healing, deliverance, abundant life, blessings and prosperity.
As Simon acted on the words of Jesus, he saw the miracle that caused him to do nothing,but bow down and worship Jesus. Not only was Simon blessed, but all of the other fishermen that were on sea, who were called in to help, were blessed as well.
What have you been laboring on all year long? What have you been working on that seem to amount to nothing?What have you been doing that is not producing the kind of results that you want? Are you about to give up like the fishermen did? Well hold one minute! where is Jesus now? Is he living in you, yes, this same Jesus that gave the instruction to Simon, is ready and willing to give you your instructions, tailored just for you. The hope of glory lives in you, now allow him to instruct you and guide you in the way that you should go (Psalm 32:8).
Don’t be afraid to launch out on the words of Jesus!
Do not neglect to pray and celebrate Jesus, the Messiah this season amidst all that is happening around you. Although everything seem to be moving at the speed of light, zero in your focus on “Immanuel”- God with US. It is God that is in us, that allows us to do the things that we need to do. When Jesus came to earth, he came to seek and save those who were lost. He came to give life and life more abundantly and to the fullest.
This is the season we celebrate not only the birth of Jesus Christ but his gift of salvation. It was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].” The world has made a mess of Christmas. They have taken the Christ out of it and it has now become Xmas or Happy Holidays. The question is not what the world is doing with Jesus but what are we doing with the perfect gift that we have received at this time. Will you and I allow him to be Lord of all, so the world will truly know who he is and choose to worship him? The angel of the Lord appeared to both Mary and Joseph at separate times and announced that the son Mary will give birth to, would be called Jesus. There is great significance in the name of Jesus. We cannot past the elementary stage of our Christian experience without acknowledging him as Lord. The very foundation of our faith sets firm on Christ the solid rock.
Luke 1:31-33
31. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
It seems like the world has a huge problem with the name Jesus. You might get away by mentioning God but never mention Jesus. No one wants to hear that name. The same authority that Jesus entered this world with, is in the same authority he reigns today. The world’s neglect of Christ does not diminish his power in anyway. The events that are happening around the world does not diminish the authority of Christ in anyway. He is Lord and he continues to be Lord. He reigns over all, and of his Kingdom there is no end. Jesus is alive and well, he still sits upon the throne of David as Ruler and King.
There is power in the name of Jesus. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).” Jesus has the highest name, above every name.
Some Takeaways for this season
Take the liberty and use the name of Jesus declaring what his word says, believing that he has already done everything that he needed to do to get you where you need to go.
Take the name of Jesus with you wherever you go and in all that you do. He is your ever present help (Josh. 1:9, Psalm 46:1).
Take time to attend and mediate on the word of God, finding out more about his amazing grace, truth and promises designed to enrich and fulfill your life (Prov 4:20 -22).
Take the time to be a blessing to someone this season. Give the gift of love and kindness to someone who needs it. Be a blessing on purpose.
Take the time to celebrate in a whole different way, because Immanuel is not just a baby who became a figure of great historical significance but He has become your Lord and savior, Jesus, the One who die to save the world from their sins.
We are praying that this will be the best season you have ever had. Why not declare it.
How many of us can appreciate having an uncomfortable situation that we just have to trust God to solve or bring us out? Our weakness
This is not a comfortable position to be in, I hate those “don’t know” or “why is this happening” moments. My nature is of such that I always, at all times want to know how to handle a situation or problem when it confronts me. 11 Corinthians 12:7 talks about a thorn given to Paul in the flesh to buffet him, less he should become conceited. This thorn was placed in his flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet him. Paul pleaded with God three times to take it away from him but instead, God’s response to Paul’s dilemma was, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:7-9).
Does God take pleasure in our demise or distress? His strength is perfect
After God’s response, Paul took a different posture, instead of becoming depressed, angry and frustrated, he boasted all the more about his weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon him. Thus, Paul said, “For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” This was a wake up moment for Paul, because when he realized that God was not going to change the situation, he knew at that point he needed to totally depend on God to sustain him in times of weakness. The point here, is not God’s desire to allow unpleasant things to happen to us, but more so our response to the situation. God will never do anything to destroy us, Paul could obviously still have a good quality life with the thorn in his flesh and so will we. Some things might not change like we want it but rest assure that God will never put us in a compromising position where we constantly fail. Our moment of weakness, becomes God’s opportunity to perfect his strength in us.
How can these things be applied in everyday matters?
Do you feel weak and powerless, as if you are going under, then call upon Jesus, his grace is sufficient for you. Your weakness is not a signal of hopelessness, because Christ dwells in you. He is the hope of glory, therefore, you are full of hope, even when it seems hopeless. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. Whatever your weaknesses turn out to be, it is important to understand that the same grace that saved you, is the same grace that is well able to sustain you, heal you, deliver you, and direct you.
Therefore like Paul, glory in your weaknesses, so that the power of Christ will be made perfect in your weakness. For when you are weak, then He is strong.
As you go through this week just remember to pray with “God confidence” focusing on His strength and not on your weaknesses.
Jesus wants to empower His church to do amazing things in the world today
The power of prayer creates amazing results when we take the focus off of the physical things and situations and place it on Him and His mission. Let us call upon Jesus today to reveal and make Himself known to us and everyone who do not know Him around the world.
Every nation, people and language will be impacted and radically changed with the gospel of Jesus Christ when we pray and seek God, with fervency and diligence. We are the army of the Lord and our agenda is to advance the kingdom of God in every nation and sector of life. We can start right where we are. You and I can start a godly revolution with the Holy Spirit right on our knees TODAY! “So too the Holy Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance Romans 8: 26.” You and the Holy Spirit are a great team.
I pray that our hearts will be stirred this week to go beyond ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to pray through us. “Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people Eph. 6:18.”
I know many of you are aware of songs that declare our victory in Christ. We sing it lustily and become very excited about walking in that victory. What is sad for many of us, is that we do not experience this victory in our daily lives and so prayer is monotonous and our efforts to reach God is an idea of someone else’s experience and not our own. How about praising with all your heart today, knowing that this is not just a wonderful song I sing, or the words on a page I read, but a reality in my life. Our first recognition and grounds for victory declaration, is that the Victor lives in me.
The word assures the believers of victory
John puts it simple, greater is the One (the Victor), who is in you than the one (defeated foe) who is in world (1 John 4:4b). In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37).
Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14). I can do all things, Paul declares, through Christ who gives me strength (Phil. 4:13). Take the time to educate yourself on the word of God, so when you pray, you know what the word says and you declare what God has already predestined to happen. The word of God is forever settled in heaven, it’s a done deal, sealed in blood. The knowledge of the word removes ignorance about what God wants. When you pray his word you pray his will, because He honors his word above His name.
Stop begging and start declaring
The Lord has spoken to me so emphatically one Sunday as I was worshiping in Church. The song was “Halleluiah You have won the victory”. He has already won the victory and when we pray, we need not beg Jesus to do, what he has already done. Our part is to start declaring His promises and blessings. What was evident to me, was that much of my prayer whether, I was praying for myself, family, other people, nations or other things; I was begging Jesus to do what He has already done, instead of declaring his promises and finished works over the situation. So it was clear to me, to stop “BEGGING and start DECLARING”. Much of our prayers could be filled with more thankfulness and declarations.
Now do not get confused with asking God to do something, this is different, although it seems like it is the same, there is a difference. Jesus said ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open (Matt. 7:7). Thus asking is requesting Him to do something on our or someone else’ behalf. I don’t mean to start a theological discussion on whether begging or asking God is right or wrong, but when you consider yourself, would you prefer someone begging you or simple asking you, and once it is in your power or reach, you will respond accordingly. The point behind begging is pleading with God hoping he hears and answers.
We must believe that, “Before we call, he answers; while we are still speaking he hears”, the answer is guaranteed before we even ask, because it is already there. We can approach God with confidence and therefore ask anything believing he hears us and if we know that he hears us, then we have the petitions we have prayed for (1 John 5:14-16). Jesus said, “When you pray believe that you receive it and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).
Don’t assume that when you have cried long enough, or begged long enough, God is moved; he is moved by faith. This is evident in every miracle account of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Believing starts with knowing what the Bible says and consciously believing it.
Pointers to follow:
Consult the word like you would a professional for expert advice
Just as you would consult a lawyer for legal advice, a doctor for medical advice, an accountant for financial advice. It is important to consult God and His word for spiritual advice. It is vital not just to read the Bible but know the Bible. It is of paramount importance that we know the word and allow it to dwell richly in us with all wisdom. It is of great importance that we know what the Word says concerning the circumstance before we pray. If we don’t know what the word says about healing, deliverance, finances and other things, we would feel like we need to beg God, to answer our petition.
Be thankful and grateful
Take time out daily to tell Jesus how much you appreciate him. Tell Lord how amazing and awesome he is. Express your gratitude to him for his amazing grace and His abounding love toward you. Make his praise glorious, flowing out of your lips. Let your mornings be filled with praise and adoration to God, the One who sits on the throne. You can only but imagine how he longs for and takes pleasure in his creation. We are his workmanship, created in Christ to do good works (Eph. 2:10). He admires his creation, because we look like him. How beautiful it is when we express our love to him. Praise sounds like music in his ears. He is waiting on you. Tell him how good he is, he knows but he wants to hear it from you. The book of Psalms is a great place to start, it is filled with praises and adoration to God.
You have the keys to the kingdom – Full access has been granted to you
When you think about what Jesus did, absolutely nothing was left undone, victory is complete. Regardless of how impossible the situation seems, believe that Jesus Christ has already conquered ALL things and has made available the keys to the Kingdom. Full access is granted into the store rooms of heaven filled with all precious gifts, with your name on it, waiting to be claimed. The Father of lights has already determined and provided all things you need that pertains to life and godliness. All things have been made available by His sacrifice. Your access is assured by His Blood, His Name, His Word, His Spirit and By His love. No begging is needed!
Rest
Rest in the finished works of Jesus Christ. When you rest in Jesus, you are not relying on your self- effort or self – confidence, you are relying on God- confidence. When step out your doors, you do not know what awaits you, or what is likely to confront you each day. What you do know, is if you rely on Him, He is well able and capable of taking care of you. You are trusting Him to do the work through you. You can provide for yourself but He can do it so much better, without you having to toil tirelessly. You might be worried about many things in this area, especially, when economies are going through recessions, depressions and all sorts of economic conditions. That’s where you enter into rest, because you know God’s got you. You know when the economies fall apart, government becomes chaotic, companies fail and others fall apart, God is your provider and he will sustain you in the worst of times. God speaks about a rest for his people. When we rest, God works and when we work God rests. Therefore, it is imperative that we enter into God’s rest, which means we rest from all our work, just as God did from his work (Heb. 4:10).
Be encouraged to rest and walk in victory everyday.
God wants you to believe him and walk in confidence!
A very important part of our Christian experience comes from believing God. When you are confronted with a situation that requires much more than you can humanly possibly give, what will you do? David says “Trust in the Lord and be of good courage (Psalm 27:14).” We are careful to trust God for certain things, but when it comes to our future, crafts, careers and what’s in our hands, we tend to focus in on our self efforts. Discovering the world of greatness that God has in-store, awaits all who rely on him for help. When David admonishes us to trust in the Lord he was speaking from experience. When David admonishes us to trust in the Lord he was speaking from experience.
There are some significant lessons that we can learn from David’s “God confidence” and allowing God to perfect his craft.
David came onto the scene upon his father’s request to take food and inquire of his brothers’ wellbeing. There he heard Goliath, the champion of the Philistines of Gath, hurling insults at the army of the Living God (1 Sam 17:23).
David’s “God confidence” kicks in
King Saul was told about David’s boldness and sent for him. What would cause this king to send for a young and inexperienced boy? Saul was desperate, forty days of Goliath’s threats were too long (1Samuel 17:8 -11). He needed a quick, workable plan. David encouraged Saul not to let any man’s heart fail because he will take on this Philistine.
What would cause David to stand boldly before the king and make such a promise, when he had never been in such a battle before? David’s “God confidence” kicks in. There was no doubt in his mind that Goliath would fall today. There was no fear, hesitation, indecisiveness in his heart concerning this battle. He was audacious and more courageous than the sum total of all Israel’s warriors together. His boldness captured the attention of King Saul and pushed him to believe as well.
Sharpening your skills
David was sharping his skills in the fields with the bear, the lion and whatever else. When you think of a little boy and a sling in an open field all day long, this would be a craft he would learn and master very quickly. David was sharp with his sling, it was a perfect tool in his hands, but yet he did not placed confidence in this tool alone, to get the job done. David knew he had the craft down packed, hitting Goliath square between his eyes on his forehead, was nothing short of a master marks man. Yet the power of God was needed to do a precise job. Don’t forget Goliath had his helmet, his shield and his breastplate on, he was well protected. Like David said to him; bravely, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head (1 Samuel 17: 45)”. David’s skill could take him thus far, but God’s power completed the assignment.
While you may have confidence in yourself and your craft, still put God first. God- reliance is healthier than self- reliance. Even if you are an expert, put God first. There may be a battle, test, trial, situation that your craft is not equipped enough to handle. There your “God confidence” kicks in. Let God take your abilities to another level. Express confidence in God and his ability to work miracles in your life. Sharpen your skills in the word of God, feed your spirit with the Daily Word and release it in the sling of prayer. Do not take it for granted, your prayer life cannot be successful without the word. Take time to put the word of God in you and when you need your “God confidence” to kick in it will.
May your faith be stronger today than it ever was.
According to Spurgeon ‘ “Pray without ceasing.” That precept at one stroke overthrows the idea of particular times wherein prayer is more acceptable or more proper than at others. If I am to pray without ceasing, then every second must be suitable for prayer, and there is not one unholy moment in the hour, nor one unaccepted hour in the day, nor one unhallowed day in the year. The Lord has not appointed a certain week for prayer, but all weeks should be weeks of prayer: neither has he said that one hour of the day is more acceptable than another.
All time is equally legitimate for supplication, equally holy, equally accepted with God, or else we should not have been told to pray without ceasing. It is good to have your times of prayer; it is good to set apart seasons for special supplication—we have no doubt of that; but we must never allow this to gender the superstition that there is a certain holy hour for prayer in the morning, a specially acceptable hour for prayer in the evening, and a sacred time for prayer at certain seasons of the year. Wherever we seek the Lord with true hearts he is found of us; whenever we cry unto him he heareth us. Every place is hallowed ground to a hallowed heart, and every day is a holy day to a holy man.
From January to December the calendar has not one date in which prayer is forbidden. All the days are red-letter days, whether Sabbaths or week days they are all accepted times for prayer. Clear, then, is it from the text, that the voice, the posture, the place, the time—none of them enter into the essence of prayer, or else, in this case, we should be commanded to perform an impossibility, which we are quite certain is not after the manner of the Lord our God.’
That’s just not possible! But Jesus told Simon (Peter) behold Satan desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you that your faith fail not (Luke 22:31-32). A failing faith is possible and Jesus knew it. Jesus asked the question, “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith in the earth (Luke 18:8)?” Jesus prayed not that Satan would leave Peter alone, stay away from him, or not sift him as wheat, instead; He prayed, that regardless of what Satan tries to do to Peter, Peter’s faith would not quit.
When your faith fails, this is as if the bottom drops out
This is where; worry steps in, intimidation steps in, fear steps in, doubt steps in, defeat steps in and eventually you give into your situations and limitations. Your confidence in God is shaken and His ability to accomplish His divine plan, diminishes, and life flows downhill from there.
Jesus knew how important it was, for Peter’s faith to be secure
If you consider a house for example; its foundation is firm and steady, but this does not mean that the house will not be shaken by natural disasters, simply because, its foundation is secure. It will be shaken. However, the house will remain standing once it is able to withstand the pressure of the storm beating against it. The same with Faith, Peter’s faith might have been shaken and tested, but failing, NO. Jesus saw the well-orchestrated, determined plan of the devil to not only attack Peter, but a fully conceived plot to destroy him. The attack on Peter was not only against him, but on the very purpose to which God had called him and the body of Christ at large.
How many times did you buckle under pressure and fall prey to the devils’ devices and deceptions?
Peter denied Jesus and was overtaken with guilt and shame, as he cried bitterly (Luke 22:56- 62). Jesus knew what was going to happen to Peter and He provided all Peter needed to keep his faith standing. Jesus knows everything that you and I will face and the good thing is, he has already made a way of escape. He has won the victory. Don’t treat your failures, short-comings or mistakes, like they take God by surprise. Jesus made provisions for your weaknesses. Don’t think because you might have failed in a situation, that your faith has failed. Your faith is already secured in Jesus’ finished work. It is not your righteousness that you stand in, but his. He made you righteous the day you believed in Him. Your faith is the most powerful thing that you use to access God. Do not take your faith lightly. The devil wants to shatter your faith, pull you away from God and ultimately destroy you. There is nothing that you can do to stop God’s love from coming to you and your faith works by love. Therefore, strengthen your faith by being secure in God’s love. There is no situation too peculiar or unusual in anyway that your faith cannot work in.
Jesus did not count Peter out, when he made a mistake
Jesus knew that Peter’s faith will propel him to greater heights, than the depths his failure could ever sink him into. Don’t forget, it was this same Peter who received the revelation that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God. Peter was the one who stood up on the day of Pentecost to defend the Pentecost experience, that many Jews and devout Christians thought was strange (Acts 2:1-22). It was Peter who was used by the Holy Spirit to convert and baptize Cornelius (Acts 10:1-47). Peter was not perfect, but he became one of the prominent apostles in his time and made astounding contributions to the building of the early church. Not only was Peter’s faith restored and fortified; it was also strong enough to strengthen the brethren.
Get back on the faith train
If by chance your faith has failed, simply ask Jesus to help you and He will. His love never fails and never gives up on you. For those of you who have experienced struggles I pray that your faith does not fail you, regardless of what you are facing today, pray in faith believing. God hears the prayer of faith. You might feel just as 2 Corinthians 4:8 describes; “Hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” You are more than conquerors with Jesus on your side, so get up, dust yourself off, and get right back on the faith train.
Jesus wants to empower His church to do amazing things in the world today
You might say, how could my faith fail me?